Scientists Probe Mystery Of Neanderthal Brain By Growing A Miniature Version Of It

22 June 2018, 7:50 am EDT By Nicole Arce Tech Times

Researchers hoping to study the Neanderthal brain have to face the limiting notion of studying a practical void, the empty space inside a skull that is hundreds of thousands of years old.

Geneticists at the University of California San Diego have found a way to bypass this problem by creating a miniature version of the brain inside the head of a homo neanderthalensis.

Neanderthal Minibrain In A Dish
Neanderthals are the closest extinct hominin relatives of the modern human. They had stocky, brawny bodies and brains almost as big as that of the homo sapiens. Although they were the original cavemen, Neanderthals used a sophisticated system of symbolic language not evident in other species of humans.

By extracting the ancient DNA from the fossilized remains of a Neanderthal and infusing it into an artificially grown mini-brain made from stem cells, the researchers were able to build a miniature version of the Neanderthal brain, which they hope would be able to run little robots shaped like crabs one day.

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https://www.techtimes.com/articles/230787/20180622/scientists-probe-mystery-of-neanderthal-brain-by-growing-a-miniature-version-of-it.htm